Ali Haydar

April 22 at 9:17 PM
Since I see posts asking about dignity and performance of the wandering stars so often in this
group, I am making this post just to clarify that topic.

Since the European Renaissance, we find the terms accidental and essential dignity. But if we
take a look at Abū Maʿšar’s Introduction, we may find the more clarifying terms fortune (saʿāda)
and power (qūwa) of the stars. So there is one category in which we might call a star powerful or
weak and another category in which we may call it fortunate or unfortunate. The mean value of
that of course will tell us what exactly the particular star promises in a native’s chart.

These are the fortunes of the stars:

(i) To be in aspect or conjunction with the benefics.

(ii) to be cadent from the malefics.
(iii) to be translating between benefics, i.e. separating from one and applying to the other.
(iv) to be besieged by the benefics.
(v) to be in the heart of the Sun, which is 16' away from it in latitude and longitude, or to be in
trine or sextile to it.
(vi) to be in aspect with a fortunate Moon.
(vii) to be swift in motion and increasing in light.
(viii) to be in a degree of its dignity (which is the Renaissance and later 'essential dignity').
(ix) to be in it’s joy.
(x) to be in the bright degrees.
(xi) to be received by a star.
(xii) to be in hayz.
(xiii) for the luminaries to be in degrees of the benefics.
(xiv) for benefics to be in the degrees of the luminaries.

For Abū Maʿšar, hayz, a very etymological translation of hairesis (most probably via Pahlavī), is
the only concept of sect. He also has a concept called ḥalb, but that is more similar to the
Hellenistic concept of chariots, maybe even etymologically related to it, since it means racing-
ground, rather than to al-Qabīṣī’s idea of it. Of course others would add: To be in sect, in halb, or
in signs in accordance with the planet’s sect (not their gender by temperament as in the later
tradition).

The powers of the stars are these:

(i) To have northern ecliptical latitude.

(ii) to be in rising in the orb of its apogee.
(iii) to be out of the rays of the Sun.
(iv) to be in its second station.
(v) to be angular or succedent.
(vi) for the superior planets to be oriental of the Sun, for the inferior ones to be occidental.
(vii) for the diurnal planets to be in masculine quarters, for the nocturnal ones to be in feminine
quarters.
Adding from Ibn ʿEzra: If a planet is northern while another is southern in ecliptical latitude, the
northern planet overcomes the southern one. If both are southern, the one that is more southern
overcomes the other planet. A superior planet is strong in the East when it has come out from
under the rays (15° for Jupiter and Saturn, 18° for Mars) until it is 60° E of the Sun. It is strong
in the West from its second station until it is 90° W of the Sun.

So this should make clear that planetary power indicates how effective a planet will be while
fortune of course shows how much fortune it promises. E.g. if the malefics are strong, you want
them to be fortunate, but if they are unfortunate, you want them to be weak.